Define Your Process
Defining your ministry process is extremely important. In our research for Simple Church, we asked vibrant church leaders and comparison church leaders to evaluate how clearly defined their ministry process is. We asked them to state their level of agreement with the following statement: “We have a clearly defined process for moving a person from salvation to […]
Is a Pastor a Leader?
Sadly in many contexts, pastors either fail to exercise leadership or are stripped of their leadership. Those who fail to lead their congregations are often content to be chaplains who feverishly run from need to need without leading the flock in a particular direction. In other cases, a local church greatly hampers the leadership of […]
Blueprint for Discipling People with Wisdom
The apostle Paul described his ministry as skillful building in response to and empowered by God’s grace. He said, “According to God’s grace that was given to me, as a skilled master builder I have laid a foundation” (1 Corinthians 3:10). In other words, the apostle Paul did not just “wing it” or “go with […]
Consistent Confession
Don’t be misled into thinking that the more you confess the further away from God you must be. The opposite is true. As your relationship with God becomes more intimate, confession is more prevalent. When Jesus gave us an example of prayer, He encouraged us to seek forgiveness: Therefore, you should pray like this: Our […]
Three Applications of the Great Exchange
In the last post from Transformational Discipleship, I discussed how Psalm 32 is an Old Testament celebration of the Great Exchange. How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is the man the Lord does not charge with sin and in whose spirit is no deceit! When I kept […]
What Jesus Wants
People have always been attracted to unity. Following a tragedy or disaster, the stories of people responding in unity often grab our hearts. Sports enthusiasts love the tales of a team coming together as a true team and not merely a collection of individuals. People long to belong, to be a part of something bigger […]
Lecrae and Culture
Several months ago, I was honored to spend several moments discussing faith, culture, and music with Lecrae. I respect Lecrae, his music, and his mission. I am grateful for his commitment to the Lord, his understanding of the gospel (he insists it is the power of God and must not be viewed merely as a […]
You Are a Builder
Congratulations, you are a builder. Build lives. That is what ministry is all about. It is what you and your church are called to do. The apostle Paul gives specific instructions to church leaders: And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,for the training of the saints […]
Gospel Continually Forms
Though the believers in Philippi had been brought together only because of the gospel, Paul knew that the gospel must continually form community. The Christian faith is and has always been an interdependent grouping of people rescued by Christ. But because of our sinfulness, we tend to drift away from that, toward either dependence or […]
Two Dangers of Copying “Ministry Practice”
Here is a typical scenario in local church ministry… In the spring, while at a conference, Danny attends a breakout session on small groups. Though the breakout session leader spoke passionately about the “why” of small groups and the importance of a solid ministry philosophy beneath the surface, the vast majority of the questions from […]